What Is Tihar?
Tihar (तिहार) — also known as Deepawali or Diwali in other parts of South Asia — is Nepal’s second most important Hindu festival after Dashain. Celebrated over five days in October or November (determined by the lunar calendar), Tihar is the festival of lights, flowers, and the worship of crows, dogs, cows, oxen, and finally brothers. Each day has its own deity, its own ritual, and its own foods.
Tihar is perhaps the most sensory of all Nepali festivals — the smell of marigold garlands, the flicker of oil lamps (diyo) lining every windowsill and rooftop, the sound of Deusi-Bhailo singing groups moving through neighbourhoods, and above all, the smell of Sel Roti frying and sweets being prepared in every kitchen. Food is inseparable from Tihar.
Why Is Food So Central to Tihar?
1. Food as Sacred Offering (Prasad)
The most fundamental reason special foods are prepared during Tihar is religious. Each day of Tihar involves puja (worship) — and puja requires food offerings. The goddess Laxmi (worshipped on the fourth day, Laxmi Puja) is offered sweets, fruits, and specially prepared foods as part of welcoming her into the home. These offerings become prasad — food blessed by the deity — and are shared among family members after the puja.
Preparing the best possible food for Tihar is an act of devotion. A family that prepares elaborate sweets and offerings is a family that has honoured the festival properly.
2. Sel Roti — The Festival Bread
Sel Roti is the iconic Tihar food — the crispy, sweet, ring-shaped fried rice bread that is made in large batches during Tihar and Dashain. Its preparation is a festival ritual in itself. The smell of Sel Roti frying is the smell of Tihar. Families make dozens — sometimes hundreds — of Sel Roti to offer during puja, to feed visiting relatives, and to give as gifts to neighbours.
Receiving a plate of freshly made Sel Roti from a neighbour during Tihar is a gesture of goodwill and community that is as meaningful as the food itself.
3. Deusi-Bhailo and the Obligation to Feed Singers
During Tihar, groups of young people move through neighbourhoods singing Deusi (sung by men) and Bhailo (sung by women) — traditional festival songs that bring blessings to households. Householders are expected to welcome these groups, listen to the songs, give money or gifts, and crucially — offer food. Sel Roti, sweets, and snacks are given to Deusi-Bhailo singers as part of this tradition.
This creates a direct social obligation to have food prepared — a household that cannot offer food to singers is considered unprepared for the festival.
4. Bhai Tika — The Brother-Sister Day
The fifth and final day of Tihar is Bhai Tika — the day when sisters apply the sacred tika (blessing mark) to their brothers’ foreheads and pray for their long life and prosperity. This is one of the most emotionally significant days of the Nepali festival calendar.
Bhai Tika is accompanied by an elaborate spread of food prepared by sisters for their brothers: Sel Roti, various sweets (mithai), beaten rice (chiura), yoghurt, fruits, and savoury snacks. The quality and abundance of this food spread is an expression of a sister’s love and care for her brother. Brothers reciprocate with gifts. Food is the language of this exchange.
5. Laxmi Puja and the Flour Rangoli (Footprints)
On Laxmi Puja night, homes are lit with dozens of oil lamps and decorated with rangoli made from rice flour and flower petals. Rice flour footprints are drawn from the entrance of the home to the puja room — symbolising the path of the goddess Laxmi entering and blessing the household. The use of rice flour in this ritual connects food directly to the sacred.
The home must be immaculate, lit, and smell of good things — Sel Roti frying, incense burning, marigold flowers — to welcome Laxmi. A home that smells of festival food is a home ready for the goddess.
Traditional Tihar Foods in Nepal
- Sel Roti: The essential Tihar food — made in large batches for offering, gifting, and eating throughout the festival
- Anarsa: A traditional Nepali sweet made from rice flour and sesame seeds — specifically a Tihar sweet across many communities
- Kheer: Rice pudding made with milk, sugar, cardamom, and saffron — offered during Laxmi Puja and served to family
- Mithai (Indian sweets): Barfi, ladoo, gulab jamun — bought or homemade sweets for offering and sharing
- Chiura (beaten rice): Served alongside sweets and yoghurt as part of the Bhai Tika spread
- Dahi (yoghurt): Thick yoghurt is part of the Bhai Tika ritual spread for brothers
- Nuts and dried fruits: Cashews, almonds, raisins — offered during puja and served to guests
Tihar in the UK Nepali Community
For Nepali communities across the UK — in Aldershot, Folkestone, Reading, London, Catterick, and beyond — Tihar is celebrated with the same devotion as in Nepal. Families make Sel Roti, prepare elaborate Bhai Tika spreads, light diyo lamps, and gather for Deusi-Bhailo singing evenings. The festival foods remain exactly the same — the ingredients simply need to come from a reliable UK source.
At MasalaMart, we stock everything needed for a complete Tihar celebration — fine rice flour for Sel Roti, ghee, cardamom, sesame seeds, mithai ingredients, chiura, and festival sweets — delivered across the UK with free delivery on orders over £50.
Shop Tihar Festival Foods at MasalaMart →
Tihar Shopping List for UK Nepali Families
- ✅ Fine rice flour — for Sel Roti
- ✅ Ghee — for Sel Roti and tarka
- ✅ Green cardamom — for Sel Roti and kheer
- ✅ Sesame seeds — for Anarsa and sweets
- ✅ Chiura (beaten rice) — for Bhai Tika spread
- ✅ Mithai / ready-made sweets — for offering and gifting
- ✅ Saffron — for kheer and special sweets
- ✅ Marigold garlands — for decoration and puja